The Game Without Rules
by ScreamScarlett
Summary: Isolde continued to rule Locksley in her brother's stead, but the arrival of the new Sheriff and his men has turned the once peaceful land into despair. Nottingham is corrupted and her brother is labeled an outlaw, there is only one thing left for her to do; play dirty. But one should remember when they start this dangerous game full of lies, scandals, and deaths... Don't lose.
1. Chapter 1

I have watched the first few episodes of the BBC Robin Hood and I was... horrified. There was so much fake, bad, untrue things about them, and I laughed at how ridiculous the episodes were. A lot of deus ex machina's for Robin and his Merry men. Still, there was some things I liked about it. So, I decided to make a story, and a rather good story, too!

I'd actually like some help from people who know the way of politics, because I'm actually wanting to turn this into a sort of Game of Thrones (not that I've seen the show or read the books) theme in this. I just feel that the Sheriff is being some spoiled brat and isn't grasping the grit and dirty tricks of politics, how people will go around your back and stab you just to gain higher status. The show is just too... dull, I guess, because it's all bright and happy and shit.

I know, there are a lot of you telling me to shut up and fuck off and all that, but I'm being honest! And I'm serious about people giving me a tip or two about politics (I suck in that subject big time! I don't know the difference between a republican and a democrat!), especially if any of you seen the Game of Thrones show. I want to turn this sappy Robin Hood show into something gritty, dark, sensual, and just plain awesome for all of us to enjoy!

Moving on, I'd like to introduce my own character and why she is apart of the scheme; Isolde of Locksley, younger sister to Robin of Locksley and ruling on his stead while he is away in the Crusades. She is my oc and will serve me for my ambitions to throw this little fairy-tale into something dark and twisted, Grimm Brothers style! If anything, I think you can compare little Isolde to Daenerys, but don't worry, Robin won't be that evil back-stabbing brother, I promise you!

I'd like to also add that I'm changing the whole Robin Hood universe, a complete AU! I hope you won't doubt this, because I plan to make this story interesting to you readers! Please PM me!

I'll write the story sometime soon in the week. Just gotta go back to watching the Robin Hood and catch up on the character development, what's the change, and so on with the whole plot before the series cancellation.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I don't know a smack thing about politics, but I know for sure as hell that this is gonna be the hardest fic I've ever written! This is an AU, but it will have some moments that follow the storyline of the BBC Robin Hood series, just to give you guys a fair warning of what's to come. I'm in the middle of watching the second season of Robing Hood, so I've still got a long way to go before I reach the season finale and hit it off on the third. Anyway, I'm getting some help from a kind author, **maisaLin**, who happens to know a lot about laws, so this will make some things get easier. Here's the first chapter you've all been waiting for, please remember to read and review!

* * *

Twenty-year-old Robin of Locksley, Earl of Huntingdon, quietly packed away his thinks carefully and quietly. He ignored the burning gaze cast on his shoulder, because the moment he did, everything would just break and he would be back to the beginning.

"Please," he stilled his hands, heart hurting from the broken sound of her voice. "Please. Don't."

The young lord sagged a bit, but continued on with gathering his things. Much, his loyal servant and close friend, was waiting outside with their horses and ready to travel along with the King Richard's forces on his march to reclaim Jerusalem. He already had it hard with Marian, sighing as his thoughts drifted from their spat last night.

A hand rested on his back and he reached back to grasp it in his hands and pull it to his lips, kissing the smooth, soft skin of the little hand in his palm.

He turned to face the person, and for a moment he thought he would shatter from the teary eyes looking up at him with sorrow.

"Please sister," Robin murmured as he pulled the small, vulnerable little girl closer to him so that he could rest his chin on her blond hair. "Don't look at me like that."

"Don't go." she broke into sobs against his vest, wrapping her thin arms around him tightly. "Everyone will miss you! Marian will miss you! I will miss you!"

Leaving Isolde was the hardest thing Robin ever done, after he had sworn to care for her after their father's death.

"You'll be alright, Isolde."

It only made her hold onto him tighter.

"My lord," a servant called from outside Robin's room. "The King is marching."

"Please brother," Isolde begged and stared up at her brother pleadingly. "_Don't leave me!_"

With one last squeeze and kiss on her brow, Robin pulled away from Isolde, grabbed the sacks, and hurried down the stairs to the door. Isolde hitched up her skirt and followed after her brother, just in time to see him and Much straddle onto their horses and leave. Isolde felt hands rest on her shoulders but paid them no mind, too caught up to watch her brother leave her behind, all in the name of glory...

The following weeks, Isolde written to her brother, chronicling the events she went through when governing over her house and village. Robin wrote back, and sometimes Much when his master wasn't able to, would tell her in turn of everything that went on their side. She missed him, and admittedly the bumbling servant as well, and she prayed every morning and every night for their safe return.

Weeks turns to months, and months turned to a whole year. Continuing to manage the Locksley Manor, study under her tutors, and oversee the welfare of her beloved village; Isolde had her work cut out for her. The young lady of Locksley would ask if there was something Marian would like to say to Robin in her letters, but the stubborn brunette turned her chin away in spite of her betrothed and said nothing.

"He always asks about how you're doing," Isolde told her one day, looking at the older girl imploringly.

The mistress of Knighton Hall let out a heavy sigh, avoiding the young blond's big, doe-eyed gaze and remained firm.

"Well, he should have remained her to see to my well being!" Marian snapped, her voice not directed at her lover's younger sister.

"You know how he is, Marian," Isolde sighed, looking down at her feet. "He's just trying to prove himself worthy."

"Of what? Being an idiot?"

Isolde said no more.

Many more months rolled by, and life continued on for the people of Nottingham and it's residents.

Until the arrival of a large party dressed darkly, their appearance seemingly bringing ill will...

**~0~**

"What?" Isolde blinked up at Sheriff Edward, the older man looking grim as he sat at the table, not touching the food her servants brought him.

"This, obtuse bloke, this Vaisey person, is demanding I step down from my title as Sheriff!"

Marian planted hands on her father's tense shoulders, trying to calm her flustered, very upset father from bursting a blood vessel. Isolde had long ago stopped sewing on her embroidery to listen intently on the Sheriff's worries about the newcomer that was coming after his title and duties. Normally, when someone wanted to be a Sheriff, they had to go through a series of tasks to prove themselves capable of the job, earn approval from the people, and _then _ask for the current Sheriff if they may take their place. There was a lot more, but that was mostly the gist of what had to be done. However, this fellow Edward described just sounded like he skipped through the whole thing and demanded up front for the badge!

"I don't like it," Edward continued to ramble, reaching for his daughter's hands. "I feel uneasy of this person."

"Of course you would!" Isolde agreed with the elder man. "He sounds like an impudent sod."

"My Lady!" one servant, Edna, gave her young mistress a disapproving look.

"Isolde!" Edward and Marian snapped at her as well, but a small smile tugged at their lips.

"It's the truth." the young Locksley lady shrugged innocently, picking at her food instead to avoid anymore confrontation of the adults around her.

"None the less, keep your guard up." Edward said as he looked down at his plate. "I smell something very fishy."

And no more was said about the new comer.

The next following weeks, Edward's ominous warnings proved to be true. Nottingham began to be full of new guards, replacing the kind ones with ruffians that harassed the innocent bystanders if someone caught their unwanted attention. She heard story after story from her villagers how this mysterious Vaisey seemed to loom over them and fill their poor hearts with fear.

She was becoming restless herself, wanting to meet this Vaisey person that frightened her people and the people of Nottingham, along with every other innocent village.

Edward continued to be dogged by the newcomer who chased after him for his position, and with all that was happening from the terrorizing and the harassing, Isolde could see Edward beginning to slip down into defeat.

"Don't let this person get to you!" she told him when he came to visit her. "You're the Sheriff of Nottingham, stand firm!"

With her encouraging, Edward fought back at his title and Vaisey's attempts were thwarted.

However, this lead to another tactic everyone did not see coming.

**~0~**

Isolde could not hold back her surprise and anger, her disbelief and confusion of the news given to her by Marian. The young blond teen was completely thrown back from the outrageous words that left the older woman's mouth, she could not seem to pick up her unhinged jaw.

"They, as in everyone, voted against your father?!"

The brunette could only nod in confirmation.

"_WHY?!_" she demanded, suddenly feeling stupid and too young to understand the complex minds of adults.

"I don't know," Marian said lowly, but her eyes burned at her next works. "But I have a hunch of how these events came to be."

Bribing, intimidation, false promises; the minds of men could be so easily corruptible just by the simple yet heavy words that came from the lips of a snake hiding beneath human skin.

Before Isolde could even open her mouth to say something, the door burst open and both girls looked to find a panting, sweaty servant looking at them with wide eyes. Marian stood up in alarm, pulling the young girl in her arms.

"What is it, Sophia?" Marian demanded from the panting servant.

"My lady," Sophia addressed to her mistress. "There are guards from Nottingham coming this way!"

Isolde felt the arms wrapped protectively around her tighten their hold, but no fear or worry came to the young girl's mind. No, it was fury and irritation that overcame her senses. Isolde shook the woman's arms off her and marched past the wide-eyed Sophia, out the door, and towards the road.

"Isolde!" Marian shouted after her, following the blond girl. "Stop right there! This isn't a game!"

She ignored her, in favor of glaring at the approaching riders that came at her village without much warning.

In the ocean of dark armored men, Isolde immediately zeroed in on the one she knew had to be the one they called Vaisey. He was an older man, somewhere around Edward's age, maybe older, with his receding white hair. He wore luxurious dark robes that spoke of wealth and privilege, and she suspected that with his riches, he must be very intelligent. There was nothing that said in his person that he was some simpleton.

He was the dangerous sort of smart.

Beside him road a man that also stood out from the armored clad men, younger than the elder, but much older than Isolde and Marian. Dark hair, pale skin, an unkind and unwelcoming face, and icy blue eyes. He was dressed entirely of black leather, and it made him all the more intimidating with the wicked sword strapped on his hip. Once again, Isolde felt Marian wrap her arms around her and she did not shake of the older girl, her servants watching with dread of the approaching guests on their land.

They halted at the road, the two men and a couple guards climbing off their horses. The guards took the reigns of the two men's horses, and the two men approached Isolde and Marian.

"Ah," the elder spoke as he looked at Locksley Manor with some appreciation, the action which made Isolde's insides bristle, but she held fast. "What a lovely house you have, little girl."

The _little girl_ tidbit finally made Isolde snap.

"That's Lady to you, _sir_!" she snapped hotly at the older man with venom dripping in her tone.

It only made the other man snort a little, which earned him a sharp look from the first. Isolde felt the sharp warning tug on her shoulder from Marian, but paid her no mind. She wasn't going to let some blockhead talk down to her like she was some simple girl!

"Lady Isolde of Locksley, it is a pleasure to be acquainted with you." the older man gave a small bow. "I am Vaisey, the new Sheriff of Nottingham as of now."

"And what, Sheriff," Isolde bit out to the older man. "interest do you have in Locksley?"

Vaisey didn't answer, just looked at the manor again, and then to the village that stood a mile off of the property. The two girls did not like the look in the older man's eyes, like he was inspecting a prized cow that he may, or may not, consider in buying from the stalls.

"This will do."

Marian was the one who spoke up, not giving the young blond spitfire a chance. "This will do?"

"Lady Isolde of Locksley," Sheriff Vaisey said as he turned to face the young girl with a wicked smile upon his aged face. "As of now, your home and village is under new management."

If she was able to, Isolde would have let her eyes fall out of their sockets.

"Gisborne!" the Sheriff snapped at the leather-clad man that had stood quietly from the side, watching the scene unfold. "You'll be in charge of this region."

And all hell broke loose that day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I'm sorry I took awhile to update but I've been working on other projects that I kinda forgot this one. This chapter ain't much, so sorry if you're disappointed at how short it was, but I've been busy as I said before. I hope you will like it anyway, because we get to see a little bit of the darker side of Vaisey, hope you like!

* * *

"My lord."

Vaisey, newly promoted Sheriff of Nottingham, merely ignored the speaker and continued to happily read through the list of nobles in the area and contemplated on which would serve him best in his ambitions. After all, he was going to need all the help he could get to support Prince John on his way to bring down fall for King Richard and take his place on the throne. And the reward, Vaisey smiled to himself as his finger skimmed over the map of the land, he could practically feel the cool shapes of shillings brushing under his fingertips...

"My lord," the voice insisted and Vaisey could no longer concentrate.

"What?!" he snapped, glaring up at the cause of his disturbance. "Speak quickly!"

"A Lady insists to have an audience with you."

"A Lady?" the Sheriff narrowed his eyes at the messenger. "What Lady?"

"The Lady of Locksley, my lord."

Ah, Vaisey slipped back into his chair and stared at the messenger with ease, that persistent little spit fire that threw a tantrum when he invited himself into her home for a simple meal. The Sheriff snorted to himself at the memory. The meal was more of a pillage in the pantries, the men hungry and taking what they could get to fill their bellies, and the guards harassing the poor servants that were frightened from the ruffians. No doubt the little thing would have attacked him were it not for the former Sheriff's daughter holding her back, trying to shield the girl from the men.

It appeared that she was her for some vengeance.

"Send her away." he dismissed the messenger and went back to the map.

"No need." a new voice intruded the room.

The two men whipped their heads at the door to see the subject Vaisey thought of barging through his wooden doors, trailing behind her was a disgruntled Guy. The older man caught the girl by her arm and held a tight grip when she struggled against his hold. Vaisey, growing irritated by her presence, stood up from his chair and slammed his hands for their attention.

"What is she doing here?"

"She was very adamant in seeing you, my lord." Guy said coolly, not budging from the girl's pulling.

"She's here because she wishes to speak with you!" Isolde snapped, angered by the dismissive attitude of the men around her.

She focused her glaring eyes at Vaisey and stepped forward, this time Guy let her go when he saw that she had calmed down somewhat, but he remained with her in case the girl decided to do something stupid as attack the Sheriff. She glared at the messenger and the lanky servant removed himself from in front of her path to let her through, Vaisey had to hand the girl a silent applause from her attitude.

"And what, Lady of Locksley, do I owe the pleasure of your appearance?" Vaisey asked with mock as he leaned back against his chair. "Come to whine about the new occurrences of your land?"

"I want you and your cohorts out of Nottingham." Isolde said.

The Sheriff chuckled as he picked the dirt from beneath his fingernails, he could hear Guy doing the same, and Vaisey could feel the girl burning holes with her sharp brown eyes.

"That's a very excessive request young lady."

"I and many others do not appeal to the fact that you have your men pushing us around."

"Hmm," the Sheriff hummed.

"That and I came here to ask you to leave our homes and lands alone!"

Vaisey let out a sigh before he lifted his head to face the young girl standing at the other end of his desk. He looked at her, not give her a brief look over, but actually bothered to look. She was obviously young, barely coming to her womanhood but held onto the innocence and naivete of a little child. And with her birth she was raised in a nice home under the guidance of parents, pampered and taken well care of by her servants. She dressed nicely, too, nothing flamboyant to show off her wealth and something comfortable for her to move in but enough to show she wasn't some common peasant.

The elder man straightened in his chair and Isolde felt a shudder when she saw the nonchalance of his fade and in its place was stone coldness. His green-gold eyes full of cruelty and no remorse.

"Let me be clear with you, Lady of Locksley, this is no game for children to play. I don't care what you or anyone wants, I only care for myself. Your land, their lands, this land, it doesn't matter whose land because they will all be taken and there is nothing you can do about it. You all will be squeezed of your riches, trinkets, and homes until there is nothing but your blood pouring out. And when that happens you will be thrown away in the dirty streets where you will placed on the bottom of the food chain, forced to crawl like some beast and beg like a dog for scraps of food."

The room was still and quiet, the occupants of the room not daring to move. Finally, Vaisey stood up from his chair, walked around the desk, and stood in front of the shock-stricken girl that had come in with determination but was no reduced to speechless horror.

She stared wide-eyed at the Sheriff as he fingered a lock of her fair hair with mock gentleness and he simple watched her for a moment longer. He leaned down until his mouth was next to her ear, and she shivered from the hot breath on the shell of her skin.

"Enjoy those last moments in that cozy manor, my _Lady_, before I drag you and throw you out in the cold."

With that said, Vaisey released Isolde and waved a hand at Guy. Obediently, the right-hand man took Isolde by the shoulders and led her away from Vaisey and out of his office.

Isolde was numb the entire time, her mind replaying over and over of the harsh words of Vaisey, imaging him just doing that. Forced out of her home when he stole all her treasures, her clothes turned to rags as she weeped pathetically. Her home, her childhood home, snatched away and there was nothing she could do about it.

She barely registered she was walking, took no notice that the person was watching her the entire time as she was lost in the throes of her violent mind.

Out in the courtyard were a pair of horses, one black and the other a dapple gray. Guy strode over to the dapple gray horse and easily lifted the quiet noble girl on the saddle. Guy grabbed the reigns and mounted his own horse and forced the other horse after him as he headed towards Locksley.

It was quiet for a long time, Guy riding beside Isolde and every once in awhile checking on the girl, but she stared ahead with a glazed look in her eyes. She had been frightened, and she had every right to be. She was just a girl who didn't know much of the world around her, too busy enjoying her wealth and trying new dresses to make an impression on some local noble she would come to fancy.

"He was right," he said aloud. "This is no game for children who know nothing of the world."

She finally snapped awake from where she was and looked at Guy.

"I'm not ignorant. I know what happens." she said tersely.

"Do you?" Guy snapped in return, his blue eyes becoming colder.

She glared at him. "What do you know? You're just some another hired body!"

Isolde pulled at the reigns of her horse but was stopped when leather hands wrapped around her thin wrists and forced her still. He was too close to her to be proper and Isolde felt a small flash of fear, wondering just what he was going to do. Guy stared at her face, holding a bruise tight on her wrists so that she wouldn't escape and it angered her how weak she was against him.

"I know enough that in this world you have to get your hands dirty if you want something." he murmured to her and shivered from the way his eyes watched her.

Soon as he released her Isolde quickly pulled the reigns and kicked her horse into a run, not looking back to the man clad in black that watched her run back home. He watched her go until she disappeared through the forest trail and turned his horse so that he would return to the castle, he had a job to do.


End file.
